Organisational Development

The largest strand of the programme is designed to strengthen management skills and operational capability. Geared towards helping third sector organisations increase their effectiveness, there are three elements to this strand of work:

i. Capacity Support

We will provide selected third sector organisations with tailored packages of technical, marketing, strategic or other support to directly increase their capacity. Each intervention will comprise a bespoke package of independent specialist consultancy and dedicated case management to fit the specific priorities of the client organisation. The emphasis will be on practical help, troubleshooting and long term solutions.

Any third sector organisation with a real interest in growing their capacity to reuse, recycle, compost or otherwise minimise waste can request capacity support. Programme staff will prioritise organisations that show the greatest potential for rapid growth and that demonstrate genuine commitment to change. Where possible we will draw in additional resources to maximise the benefits of the support.

ii. Quality Standards

This element of the programme will provide a benchmarking method for third sector organisations engaged in sustainable management of resources to identify good practice and share it within recognised quality assurance frameworks. Many organisations need help developing and implementing HR procedures, Health and Safety standards, and quality and risk management systems. Specialist support will be provided to support organisations to improve effectiveness in these areas, and the programme will build on existing accreditation work and experience within the sector.

iii. Interim Management

Many third sector organisations commonly face skill and/or capacity gaps in their management team. This element of the programme will offer organisations the chance to recruit short-term senior managers to assist them through periods of expansion, growth or other change. They may provide operational support to afford some “thinking time” or other development capacity to hard pressed management teams. Organisations can themselves identify the skills and people they want to deploy, drawing on practitioner expertise from across and beyond the sector.